On the chances of him staying in Phoenix: "Honestly, I have no clue. I couldn’t predict. I don’t know what the future holds at this point. And I’m actually OK with that. I think now’s the time to maybe get some distance from it and try to find a clear perspective on where I am. Until I do that, I couldn’t put a number on it or take a guess on what the chances are on whether I’ll be back or not."LinkHoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: This is the end of the line for Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.
Although fit and productive, Nash is in his late thirties and the window to win a championship is quickly closing. In fact, that window is shut if he re-ups with the Suns -as Robert Sarver’s club is starting to rebuild.
So expect the two-time MVP and first ballot Hall of Fame table-setter to head elsewhere for the Mid Level Exception in July when he hits free agency.
A few possibilities:

The Miami Heat could use a veteran point guard; however, Nash would, at times, have to play off the ball if he wanted to successfully partner with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Mike D’Antoni, the architect of Seven Seconds or Less, is gone, but the New York Knicks could use help even if Jeremy Lin makes a full recovery and re-signs in 2013.

The Raptors need some sort of shtick to sell tickets and keep fans interested. Nash, a patriotic Canadian, could be open to heading north of the border despite Toronto being thousands of miles from his home of Victoria, British Columbia.

There’s an argument that Nash will re-sign with the Suns because his three children live with his ex-wife in Phoenix, Arizona. Of course, family matters. But Nash is, and always has been, highly competitive. His drive took him from being an unheralded Canadian prospect to one of the faces of the NBA.
And his drive will force him to leave Phoenix and most likely sign with a competitive squad next season.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

But that’s not what I’m talking about, I am talking about next season — Lin could leave the Knicks. He could. But he won’t. The Knicks will overpay to keep him. However, Lin will have some options (we like to call that leverage) and those will put more money in his pocket. And every dollar he gets will make it harder for the Knicks to make upgrades this offseason.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Jeremy Lin is finished for the year with a knee injury. Is his career finished with the New York Knicks?

Well, not exactly.

According to cap experts, the most an NBA team can offer Lin is $5 million. The Knicks, who have cap issues, can keep the Taiwanese table-setter but only by tendering him their full Mid Level Exception.

Of course, Lin probably isn’t a $5 million per annum player. At least his play on-court isn’t worth $5 million bucks.

It's very different off-court -as Lin sells memorabilia and, because of his background and Cinderella story, puts MSG’s favourite team in the global spotlight.

This is too much for any club to pass up. The Knicks have to sign Lin; however, giving him the full Mid Level Exception would make it virtually impossible to ink, say, Steve Nash.

Nash is also a free agent this July. He has a home in New York. And the future member of the Hall of Fame would be able to keep both Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire happy with regular touches.

“It’s everybody’s ball club,” Woodson said after practice Thursday, when he was asked if the Knicks were once again Anthony’s team, as they were before Jeremy Lin briefly took over. “I want everybody to feel comfortable. When I put a guy in the game, if he’s got a shot, I want him to feel comfortable about making that shot.”But then he spoke more bluntly, saying that he wanted everybody to know that when “I’ve got to get a big shot, I’m going to go to Melo and Amar’e and guys that have done it,” a reference to Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.“A lot of these guys are young,” Woodson said in reference to their teammates. “They’re still trying to figure it out.

The Knicks fell to the Mavericks, 95-85, last night to go 2-4 since Anthony returned to a new structure created by Jeremy Lin, whose emergence stoked a 7-0 spurt with Anthony missing most of those games with a groin injury. “I think any time you go from the early part of the season and having the ball and distributing and now waiting for it to come to me, it’s quite an adjustment for myself,’’ said Anthony, a minus-18 and 0-for-3 from 3-point range.

So will D’Antoni look into tinkering with the starting five, even bringing Lin off the bench? It could [change],’’ D’Antoni said. “I’m trying to find the right combos. But it’s got to be determined over time. It’s not going to be over one game. Not going to just throw people under the bus for one or two games. Over a length of time, if they prove they need to be out there, they’ll be out there.’’

Jeremy Lin offered no excuses. He and the Knicks had no answers.Lin's rapid rise from unknown to superstar was slowed big-time Thursday night by the Miami Heat, who overwhelmed the NBA's hottest story with a swarming defense that the Knicks' new starting point guard could not solve. Forcing Lin into easily the worst game of his remarkable run as New York's newest star, Miami topped the Knicks 102-88 - the eighth straight win for the NBA-leading Heat, all by at least 12 points.

Williams added, “I don’t really watch SportsCenter, I don’t really watch too many games, but I do see Twitter. And every three lines was, ‘Jeremy Lin destroys Deron Williams’ in the first game. “And like I said, I had it circled.”

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Leave it to Saturday Night Live to spoof ESPN and the racial stereotyping surrounding Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.

For those that missed it: a writer with ESPN was fired for posting an insensitive headline for an article on Lin. Anyway, watch the video below and tell us your thoughts on SNL’s satirical comedy sketch.

The rise of Jeremy Lin over the last two weeks is amazing and largely unprecedented in NBA history. But in NFL history, and even in the same city this year it isn’t unprecedented; the rise of Giants Pro Bowl wide receiver Victor Cruz this season has many similarities.

“When I’m reading the stuff (about how he might not fit with Lin), it’s more funny than anything because at the end of the day I know what I bring to the game, I know what I bring to this team,” Anthony said on Monday after missing practice due to a strained right groin. “My teammates know that. But to say, ‘How can I fit in?’ It’s easy; give him the ball and space out. I get back to doing what I know how to do best. So we’ll see…
“I know there’s questions about, ‘Can I fit in?’ and stuff like that, but this is like a dream come true to me,” Anthony said. “It takes some pressure off of me. I don’t have to play point guard. I don’t have to try to get Amare (Stoudemire) 20 points, try to get this guy 20 points, me try to go out there and get 25-30 points a night, play defense, rebound do the whole thing.”
LinkHoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Saying the right thing is easy. Doing the right thing is difficult, especially for a shot-first superstar like Carmelo Anthony.
Right now, Anthony is talking the talk -announcing he’ll play off Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks’ sensation at point guard.
His track record suggests otherwise, though. Anthony needs the ball, and only co-existed with Chauncey Billups in Denver because Mr. Big Shot wouldn’t hesitate to spot-up and tell him, when necessary, where to go.
Lin, even with the press and Tim Tebow comparisons, is still somewhat unproven. He lacks the pedigree and personality of Billups.
And Anthony, despite his recent shooting woes, remains the Knicks’ franchise face, earning an average wage of $21 million per season through 2014-15.
So it remains to be seen if Anthony will adjust his game at all for Lin. Or, if it will be the other way around.
--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

According to Jackson, Lee “thanked” Jackson for making Lin available so that the Knicks could pick him up. “I got a text message from Spike Lee this morning,” Jackson said after Warriors’ practice on Saturday. “I had nothing to do with Jeremy Lin. I never saw him do a layup. So for the people … stop asking me. He never practiced for us so leave me out of it.”